This blog is devoted to sharing my interest in and knowledge of the history and cluture of the ancient Near East.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Painted Geese of Djeutynakht

One of the most beautiful scenes on Djehutynakht's coffin shows two geese inter-twining their necks. The photo here does not do this scene justice. The detail in the feathers of the geese is the work of a master. If you ever get to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, make sure to find this painting and look very carefully at it.

The ancient egyptians often represented food offerings being presented to the deceased and this scene is an example of this. notice to the right of the geese, the small representation of a cow with its legs bound together in preparation for slaughter. Below the cow is the foreleg of an animal (a cow?) that has been cut off. Cow forelegs were eaten or presented to a statue of the deceased as part of the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony that took pace during the funeral.

Notice to the left of the geese there are three dead geese that have been piled up as an offering to Djehutynakht. There is also the head of an Ibex, with its distinctive long horns, below and to the left of the geese.

About Me

I have worked in the securities industry for more than thirty years and founded a consulting firm (ASJ International, Inc.) in the financial services industry in 2009. I also trade stocks and options.
I have a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from City University of New York and have been studying the Ancient Near East for over 40 years. I was formerly the Secretary of the Egyptological Seminar of New York and have lectured there and at City University of New York. I can read Akkadian, Sumerian and Ancient Egyptian.